Redemption
by Ikasury
Summary: -What should I do, Kurosaki-kun...?- in the blink of the eye the world changes. Along the normal path the 'hero' revives a monster and the Villain gives the final sacrifice. -What should I do...- This time a single thought changes, rewriting the entire outcome of that fight... Just as the Cuatro Espada wins, god discovers her 'real' powers...


**A/N:** this is a very strange piece for me to write, primarily for my utter dislike at this point of Orihime as a character...

suppose the title is a bit of a joke to myself that way... this thought came to me for some reason today while i was looping 'Stronger' by Kelly Clarkson, don't ask why, but it kinda made think of Orihime for some reason and i suddenly started looking up her powers and was getting all antsy about the SHEER POTENTIAL of her abilities... that she never uses .-. i'm blaming Kubo for this oversight of using 'GOD POWERS' only for Deus Ex Heal... and i'd been recently debating with another author about crack pairings and my 'argument' against Orihime showed up... XD

its ironic i suppose that after writing this, i think i may start to like her again... character examination and whatnot... -makes shooing motion- go read :3

**Dis**: Bleach is owned by Titty K. if i owned it, this is how the end of this fight would go...

ENJOY!

* * *

Redemption

-_What should I do, Kurosaki-kun?_-

Ulquiorra simply swatted Ishida away with barely a flick of his tail.

-_What should I do!_-

The second form espada approached the fallen quincy…

-_What…_-

Her shield went up on instinct.

-_Should…_-

With a flick of that whip-like tail is shattered.

-_I…_-

Those bleeding green in black eyes just gave her a glance as orange shards crumbled and her Shun Shun Rikka returned.

-_I…_-

Her eyes widened as her power drew in on itself, the Soten Kisshun evaporating behind her as they returned as well…

"I…"

Ulquiorra gave that look like a god down to an ant, the way he'd always seen her and everything else, as if everything alive was nothing. His tail drew back as he pointed at her, a cero forming at its tip, as his low apathetic voice flowed out, "… you what?"

Her pupils shrunk to the size of a grain of sand as her finger tips gripped the ground around her, something just snapping behind her eyes as the five members of her Shun Shun Rikka spread out on the ground around her, forming the symbol of a pentagram on the ground around her inside a pentagon. Just as the cero was about to fire her orange brows lowered in anger, _actual_ anger for perhaps the first time in her life as she screamed, "I **_REJECT!_****"**

A light enveloped the girl and the last thing she remembered seeing was the stunned look in Ulquiorra's eyes…

* * *

… Suddenly the world phased back in and she was with Ishida on his light lift and he was saying something that she wasn't registering.

Her body was shaking and this time it wasn't from the feel of Ulquiorra's _Segunda Etapa_form. She felt it, but this time it didn't frighten her, instead her brows lowered as she looked down at her hands. –_Did that happen?_- her hand formed into a fist as it stilled, something feeling strong in her hand for the first time.

Without thinking she raised her hands to her hair-clips, a determined look on her face as she released all six of them at the same time.

"I-Inoue?"

She turned to see Ishida staring at her noticing as his eyes went a little wide at the look she was giving. It didn't matter so much as she turned towards the hole they were traveling up as her Shun Shun Rikka flew around her, "Please hurry Ishida-kun," was all her calm voice told him.

The quincy gulped, not sure what just happened, one second they were both freaked out by the sudden dense reiatsu, the next… she was calm? A dark brow curled on the quincy. –_It's almost like she's a different person…_- Orihime had drawn her left hand to her ear and she seemed to be whispering something to herself, the fierce _anger_ in her eyes not leaving and surprising Ishida more. He made the reishii move just a bit faster…

* * *

Ulquiorra sensed the two as they came through the hole he'd created, the quincy yelling something about 'Where is he?' while the girl remained oddly quiet. The Cuatro Espada thought that was rather strange, since the moment this fool had come to save her the girl hadn't spent a moment not shouting his name or something as equally useless…

He turned just enough to look down on them, revealing the mangled body of her 'hero' held by his tail, "So you've come… girl," he spoke just loud enough for her to hear. His green eyes watched her, there was something wrong, she should have been freaked out, panicking, lost in absolute despair at the sight…

Instead she was glaring at him. Right at him, her grey eyes directly on his and half closed because of her lowered brows matched with a tight frown on her face. That was an expression he expected on a fighter, not her?

His own brow wanted lightly to rise, finding this sudden shift in persona mildly '_interesting_', what could have caused such change? It can't have been his holding the 'hero' by his throat beaten and unconscious, she should be broken by such a sight, instead… this? His head tilted ineffectually, "There is nothing you can do, why do you appear to resist?"

Her brows seemed to lower just that bit more, "**_I_** will stop you," she spoke with such affirmation it was like she knew it was true. No confidence, no boasting, no 'determination' like this fool he was holding by his tail had shown him, no… she **_knew_** she was going to stop him.

-_From what?_- ran through the Espada's mind for a moment. She didn't specify 'killing him' or 'beating him' just that she would 'stop him'… from what? Green eyes glanced to the barely breathing body held by his tail. –_Stop me from killing him?_- that brow wanted to rise again, that was absurd, she didn't have any kind of ability to do such a thing…

He looked at her again, as flatly as he always did and tilted his head just the slightest bit, "You won't," he said as though it was absolute, "You will just stand there," he held up his hand, finger pointing directly at Ichigo's chest as he stayed staring directly at her, his eyes never leaving hers as her pupils shrunk just the smallest bit, "… and you will watch, as this is the moment the man you've put your hope in," the Cero Oscuras forming barely an inch from the boy's chest, "… will die."

"I _REJECT!_" the woman screamed at the top of her lungs somehow releasing massive amounts of reiatsu.

Ulquiorra looked at her for a moment…

… Then his arm exploded.

Green eyes turned immediately to the severed appendage, which began to fall as the Cero Oscuras crumbled, slightly wider than normal as it felt like her reiatsu was just there…

Orihime moved her hand… and Ulquiorra's tail exploded causing Ichigo's limp body to fall.

"Ishida!" the woman commanded, pulling her hand away in a wide arc, her eyes solely on the Cuatro Espada.

Ulquiorra didn't even care that the quincy had managed to 'save' the substitute shinigami from the fall, didn't care that the end of his tail was severed or that his arm was regrowing. She was looking at him in a way he'd never seen before. –_Anger_- that was so strange, she didn't get 'angry', didn't lash out, didn't fight…

He flexed his new right hand, looking at it. –_Since when…_- that had been her 'attack', that pathetic 'both-ways rejection' shield. How did it get to his arm without him seeing it? How was it _strong enough_ to blow off his arm?

He looked at her, those emotions, that 'anger'… was this part of that 'heart' she spoke to him about? How even it could fight the impossible when moved enough to do so? She wasn't like the quincy at this moment, not trembling in fear but struggling against it. Not like that Kurosaki fool, yelling and raving with his determination and how he _must_ win…

No… no she was full of **_rage_**.

-_But it's not like Yammy…_- this rage in her was a cold fury full of absolutes. She _would_ stop him, simply because she _SAID_ she would. She was not bubbling with 'confidence', wasn't pushing on with 'determination', no she was standing in front of him on equal ground with a precise, focused, **_Rage_**. Something about this surprised him, more then he realized. Probably because he never expected such a wild contemptible thing could be so… controlled, so focused, so remarkably _visible_.

"Very well…" he spoke softly, bringing his hands out in front of him, "I will destroy you instead," his hands spread out a beam of light forming between his hands, "This is not something I normally use on such pests, but for you…" he looked directly into her eyes, "… it will suffice." The Lanza del Relampago formed and he grabbed it.

In an instant he was coming down on Orihime with the lance in hand as if to crush her…

"Shiten Koshun," she mumbled softly before turning dark eyes on his incoming weapon, "I _REJECT!_" a triangular shield formed just above her, the only difference Ulquiorra noticed about it from her 'normal' shield was the central point. He didn't have time to consider it as his weapon smashed into the bright glowing shield, but instead of going through it like all of his attacks had before the shield seemed to react, a wave of reiatsu brushing across its surface only for it to centralize in that 'off' point and shoot forth…

The explosion was the equivalent and then some of his attack and sent the bat-winged Espada far into the sky. His body was shaking under the skin as his hand tightened its grip on the Lanza del Relampago. –_Since when…_- he couldn't help but ask himself again as the dust cleared and she was still standing there just glaring at him.

His eyes narrowed just the slightest bit…

Then he was down there upon her, sending his lance through her torso.

She seemed to just give this bare smile, "Koten Zanshun," Ulquiorra looked down when he felt her hand on his heart and his eyes widened just the smallest bit, "I _reject_…" despite the softness of her words a hole blew apart his chest removing his arm and nearly decapitating him, surprising the Cuatro Espada.

Taking a step back and letting go of his Lanza del Relampago he watched as she breathed in, putting a hand to her stomach. His eyes were _slightly_ wider than normal as he watched her, "Why don't you heal?" his heart was destroyed, it wouldn't be long for him…

The human girl just seemed to give a gentle smile, despite the blood, "Because I don't have to," she collapsed to the floor, breathing hard, one hand holding her wound while the other was flat on the ground, "Goten Keishun."

This time, Ulquiorra's eyes really were wide as a pentagram inside a pentagon formed underneath her…

She kept smiling, as she looked directly at him, "… I _reject_."

Again, the last thing she noticed before blinding light engulfed her were those wide green eyes…

* * *

… The world phased in right as the dust settled from the explosion.

Immediately Orihime's eyes spotted the bat-winged Espada, felt as his sonido powering up…

And took a step to the left as he impaled the air where she just stood…

Ulquiorra's eyes stared at the empty space he was sure she was…

Her hand went to his shoulder, "Koten Zanshun…"

He turned to see it…

"I _reject_…" and her hand pressed forward as half his side exploded, taking his attack arm with it.

Green eyes were wider than normal, as with a burst of sonido he was back in the air, regenerating his chest and arm but he knew there was nothing he could do about the lung he lost. He just stared at the woman, that calm rage in her eyes as she watched him, "How…?" it didn't make any sense, she was human, a speck of dust, how could she have dodged that? He lowered his eyes back to normal, something wasn't right. Why did she suddenly feel stronger than she did a moment ago?

Orihime held out her hand, palm flat at him as if to make an attack…

That didn't make sense, she didn't _**HAVE**_ attacks! Ulquiorra pointed at her with his right hand, "Cero Oscuras," in a second the black orb was formed and firing a massive beam…

"Shiten Koshun, I _reject_," only for that 'odd' shield to fold around her and negate the blast. The surface of the glowing shield rippled with power for a moment before a beam was shot back at the Cuatro Espada.

He dodged the 'light' beam, loosing part of a wing with how fast it was, but that thing had, again, felt as powerful, if not more, then his own attack. –_Rebound_- that had to be it, the 'trick' to that modified shield, not only was it 'stronger' then her normal defense it rebounded whatever was thrown her way. That was certainly one way to 'attack' with a shield. –_The gesture had been a ploy_- he realized as he circled the woman gathering enough time to regrow his arm and wing.

–_How… interesting…_- he didn't want to admit it, but it was true. Her sudden 'will' to fight was interesting. It defied everything he had observed about her, and it seemed with this added 'will' her abilities became formidable. He looked directly into her eyes, still finding nothing but that **_rage_** directed solely at him. –_What made you finally snap?_- he had shown her the beaten and broken body of her 'beloved hero' and she hadn't so much as batted an eye, as far as he knew that was the worst thing he'd done to her.

The girl's eyes narrowed as her hands clinched, just watching as he circled.

-_But that doesn't make sense…_- his eyes trailed to the hole she'd come up out of –_she hadn't seemed surprised upon coming up here, of Ichigo's defeat or my form… almost as if…_- he looked down at her again, not sure if he wanted to dally with that thought. –_It is impossible…_-

The Cuatro Espada got tired of watching, he halted in the air and put both hands together forming his next attack with both, "Cero Oscuras."

"Shiten Koshun, I _reject_!" again _that_ shield came up, absorbing the attack and firing off another over powered beam.

… but that wasn't the point, as this time Ulquiorra came up behind her where her shield did not reach and thrust his hand forward through her stomach…

Her eyes went wide from the pain as she coughed up blood…

"You knew this was how it would end," he spoke in that low apathetic voice into her ear, "Why did you fight?"

Orihime coughed more blood as she put both hands on the one inside her stomach, his right, the one she'd blown up already, "S-Soten Kisshun," she coughed again, "I-I _Reject!_"

Ulquiorra could only tilt his head, why was she using her 'healing' shield if-

Suddenly the shield formed around his arm from her hands and instead of 'healing' anything he watched from behind her as his arm disintegrated, as if it were regenerating in reverse, just dissolving…

Green eyes were wide…

She collapsed onto her knees coughing up blood and breathing heavily.

Ulquiorra was still staring at his arm, not knowing what to think as it finished only to start reforming again.

"G-Goten… K-Keishun…"

His eyes glanced back down at her, a light underneath her as she looked back at him with some strange smile…

"I _reject_…"

And the last thing she saw as the light enveloped her this time was his regenerating arm reaching for her with those wide green eyes…

* * *

… "Cero Oscuras."

"Shiten Koshun, I _reject!_" again _that_ shield came up, absorbing the attack and firing off another over powered beam.

… but that wasn't the point, as this time Ulquiorra came up behind her where her shield did not reach-

"Soten Kisshun, I _REJECT!_" her words were full of force as the 'healing' shield developed behind her, catching his arm before it got anywhere _near_ impaling her…

Green eyes were staring at the 'healing' shield, why would she-?

Just as his mind started questioning why she would use _that_ shield his arm that she had blown off before started to disintegrate, as if regenerating in reverse! It simply dissolved right before his eyes…

Before it could continue any further the Cuatro Espada ripped his arm out of the shield causing it to shatter as he pulled his other arm back to form a Lanza del Relampago in his other hand and throwing it at short range towards her-

The resulting explosion is monstrous, blowing most _EVERYTHING_ away!

By whatever act of god, Orihime was thrown into one of the large pillars, shattering bones as the arm she'd used to block was completely gone. She fell leaving a streak of blood down the structure only to land with a loud thud. By will alone she was alive and barely conscious…

Ulquiorra righted himself, a bit singed but overall fine despite the destructive power of his own attack, he was glad he held back just enough to not blow up Las Noches, but it should have been enough to deal with that woman… and probably her 'friends' as well…

There was a cough that he noticed in the silence. Green eyes traveled towards it and spotted red. His eyes widened just the smallest bit as he noticed the woman was moving despite grievous injuries, saying something he could barely catch…

"G-goten… Ke-Keishun," she had drawn a pentagram inside a pentagon in her own blood next to her. The 'shield' formed slowly as she stared at the design, placing her hand on it somehow making it work faster, as she raised her half-lidded eyes just in time to see Ulquiorra coming down upon her with another lance. She smiled around all the blood, "… I _reject_."

The last thing she saw were those green eyes right on her as his lance impaled her yet again…

* * *

… This time Ulquiorra came up behind her where her shield did not reach and thrust his hand forward intend on impaling her-

For whatever reason she dropped to the ground.

His hand went forward and ran into the back of her shield, and instead of 'shattering' like he thought such an attack would do, it rippled and shot a blast back at him, forcing him back several feet…

Orihime rolled to the side, coming back up in a crouch and facing the Cuatro Espada as her shield dissolved after rejecting him. She was panting, hand touching the wound in her stomach, "W-why…?" she couldn't fully voice the question but it didn't make sense, all the other times she'd used Goten Keishun her wounds reverted back to how they had been, or lack-there-of, when she joined with her previous self, why did it stick this time?

Ulquiorra rolled over from where he had been blasted; sitting up as he put his hand to his head and green eyes spied the tenacious woman. –_Why isn't she dead?_- at this point it was a valid question, she didn't have the 'power' to be fighting him, why was she proving such a troublesome foe?

"Soten Kisshun," she hissed between her teeth, "I _reject_," it must have been his last attack, it hit right as she was finishing that last one. The orange orb surrounded the small wound appearing on both her front and back as Ayame and Shun'ou worked to 'fix' the damage.

Ulquiorra tilted his head, watching for the first time as she 'healed' herself. –_When did I impale her?_- the Cuatro Espada stood up, looking down on the woman as she kept her eyes on him, that rage, despite her wound and obvious pain, not lessened a single bit…

"I…" she breathed in deeply, panting as her concentration was split between healing herself and glaring at him, "will… stop you."

Another Lanza del Relampago was in his hand as he walked towards her just watching as she struggled to breathe. He stopped barely a foot from her looking down as the orange shield seemed to fade. He put the point of his lance just below her chin as he stared right into her eyes, "I don't remember that wound…"

Her eyes just narrowed as her frown spread, no point in telling him.

Those green eyes never left hers.

"Inoue!"

Both sets of eyes turned to see Ishida having his quincy bow drawn, eyes burning behind his glasses as he was ready to fire…

Orihime's eyes widened at the thought of what he was trying to do, "Ishida-kun, don't-"

Ulquiorra just stared passively, that was a look he was already bored of, raising his other hand he simply charged up, "Cero Oscuras," and fired where the quincy stood.

Orihime watched, unable to turn away, as the blast of reiatsu hit, demolishing Ishida's attack and blowing away everything in that direction…

"That was useless…" the Espada spoke apathetically, turning his green eyes back to the woman. Her eyes were wide, seeing too much, as the pupils shrunk unable to move past the sight before her. _That_ was the look he had been expecting this entire time, "I see you finally understand the futility of your struggle," he glanced to the charred nothing where the quincy had stood, "Finally understand how useless it all is…"

Tears were forming in her eyes and she was too numb to care. Last time he'd just toyed with Ishida, ripped off his arm, tossed him to the side because he was 'nothing' to him… now…

"It's my fault…"

Ulquiorra turned at the sound.

"It's all my fault," her voice cracked as she thought about how everyone had come to save her, come to fight for her, all of them **_dying_** for her… and how this time… this time she _had_ fought! This time she struggled _with_ them, took her brunt of injuries… but still… still they…

"Have you given up?" was the Cuatro Espada's calm apathetic voice, something about this ringing 'strange', perhaps more so than everything else.

-**_NO!_**- Her mind screamed she turned back to him with an even fiercer glare, "Koten Zanshun, **_I REJECT!_**"

Ulquiorra had all of a second to stare at her…

… before his head exploded.

His body stood limp for a moment, the reiatsu of his attack dissipating before all the limbs slumped and the Cuatro Espada's body just fell back lifeless.

Orihime was seething, having one hand over her heart as she couldn't breathe. –_I-I just…_- her eyes were wide as she stared at the headless corpse, he wasn't regenerating and black blood was just flowing from the wound. Her rage started to finally come down along with her breathing, but all that did was make her eyes go wider, "W-what have I-" she couldn't finish the sentence as she threw up.

She just killed someone.

It didn't matter that it was with her 'special powers' or that he was an Espada or any of those other things. He had killed Ishida, probably Kurosaki-kun as well… _had_ killed the substitute shinigami in another timeline or future or whatever her powers were doing…

"Oh god," her hand went to her head unable to bear the guilt. Had that been what she wanted? To kill him? To **_kill_** someone? She had beaten hollow before with the others and they'd certainly killed before… but… Her eyes traveled to the headless Espada. –_I knew him…_- that was the only difference, he wasn't some mindless monster, sure he was a 'monster' but certainly not mindless… misguided because of Aizen and his treachery but…

She shook her head gritting her teeth, "No, no, no… that doesn't matter…" she looked at his body with tears in her eyes, it wasn't worth killing him, not now, not this time, not so 'simply' especially if the others were dead. She looked over to where his last attack had hit, "Ishida-kun, Kurosaki-kun…" her voice trembled as she wiped her eyes.

"Shun Shun Rikka," she took a deep breath, wiping her eyes, trying to regain that composed look she had before, "One more time," she put her hand on the ground as she felt them spread out into the five-point shield, "Goten Keishun," she gave Ulquiorra's body one last look –_goodbye_- "… I _Reject!_"

And she closed her eyes, not wanting to see that last sight…

* * *

… This time Ulquiorra came up behind her where her shield did not reach and thrust his hand forward intend on impaling her-

Orihime twirled around the Cuatro Espada's attack, grabbing his hand and dispelling her shield before he had a chance to smash it.

Surprised by the suddenly quick moves his green eyes turned on the woman slightly wide as he noticed the look in them.

She wasn't angry.

She wasn't afraid.

She wasn't any of those things he had come to expect in her eyes or what he had seen in this entire fight. No…

It was something entirely different.

She was almost smiling, with tears at the edges of her eyes as she held both his wrists…

"Muten Zetshun, Kanten Shinnyo," lights enveloped a circle around him encasing a six-point seal on the ground. His eyes widened just the slightest as she let go of his wrists and took several steps back outside the shield, watching with that not-right look as he was frozen inside the circle just staring at her.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked as the shield raised and formed a sphere around him.

She shook her head with a light sniff, the tears finally falling from the sides of her eyes, "No…"

"Why?" his green eyes just watch her through the bubble.

"Because I can," she gives him a broken smile, speaking of something he didn't understand, "And I'd rather not…"

The top of his eyes lowered slightly as he looked at her, "Is this because of your 'heart'?"

She smiles, "Yes."

He tries to break free of his invisible bindings, his hand reaching towards the edge of the orb, "Will you tell me about it?"

Her hand reaches the side of the orb, lying flat on the round surface where he was trying to reach, "Some day…"

His had continues to reach out but it slacks like the rest of him, as a small barely-there smile forms on his lips, "You… are very interesting."

She just gives him a teary smile, "I… _reject_." And the last thing she sees are his green eyes as the shield flashes then disappears. As the shield crumbles with nothing her hand slowly comes down, curling in absent thought as she stands there watching the dust.

There was a sound in the far off distance, like someone was saying something to her that she couldn't quite make out.

Her hand closed as she turned to see Ishida running up to her, he was saying something over and over and over again but she couldn't make it out. The quincy stopped right in front of her, placing his hand on her shoulder and shook somehow snapping everything back into reality.

She blinked, "I-Ishida-kun," her voice was soft as she looked at the frantic quincy.

"Thank god, Inoue, I thought something happened, like a final attack or-" he pushed her to the side, looking behind her, at where her last shield had been. She could tell he was trying to figure it out by the way his brows tilted down but even with his intelligence he just couldn't believe it. Those concerned eyes trailed back to her, "… wh-what did you do?"

With half-lidded eyes she looked back at the spot Ulquiorra stood, "I sent him away…"

Ishida blinked, "Where?"

The orange-haired girl just shook her head, releasing herself from the concerned quincy's grasp, "When," she corrected softly, before looking up into the noir sky of Hueco Mundo, "… and far enough away that he can't hurt anyone here anymore…" her head came down as she sniffed, reaching up to wipe away the tear the fell, "… or himself."

Ishida just stared at her back, not knowing what to say. Ever since she stepped off his reishii platform she had acted like a completely different person, it was surprising how in the middle of the fight she seemed to return to normal –_well… closer_- she wasn't 'back to normal' he could tell, something in her had permanently changed and he couldn't even begin to understand what, but she was no longer covered in that cloak of rage…

She crouched next to Ichigo's unconscious body, summoning her 'healing' shield and started working on his body.

… Somehow, while she suddenly seemed far stronger then he'd ever seen her, she also seemed extremely sad.

* * *

… in a flash of light Ulquiorra went from watching that woman to seeing absolute nothingness.

Los Noches was in ruins and there wasn't a hint of reiatsu anywhere.

The Cuatro Espada's green eyes stared at the empty ruins and desert. Everything in the ruins looked to have aged significantly, the roof caved in, no power, myriad holes everywhere as though armies upon armies had fought here and forgotten what it originally stood for…

He flapped his wings, circling around the place looking for any sign as to 'when' he was. –_That last shield… did she send me to the future?_-

_"Some day…_"

He remembered her last words, this must have been what she meant. This way she didn't have to kill him and he didn't have to kill her or anyone else she knew. A strange solution.

He flew down to one of the piles of ruins, perching on a rock outcropping, just sitting down curling his arm around a raised knee and setting his head on it.

Los Noches may have been demolished and swallowed up by the desert of Hueco Mundo, but it hadn't changed a single bit. Black sky, white moon, white sands… now there was just something else in the distance.

He breathed out with that flat frown on his face. –_Same as always…_- he curled his wings around him, feeling the familiar presence of nothingness… empty loneliness.

"About time you showed up," a cheery voice called out from behind the brooding Espada. His pupils became pinpricks as he slowly turned, finding an older orange-haired woman. She gave a gentle smile, "I almost thought I had the days mixed up!"

At first he didn't recognize her, this woman gave off an aura of such confidence and far more power then when he had fought her, but it was her eyes, those same 'happy' yet 'sad' eyes with that smile that to him he'd only seen a moment ago, "Inoue Orihime?"

She seemed to just smile more pleasantly, "It's been twenty years for me," she reached her hand out, "It must only seem like a second to you, huh?"

Ulquiorra just stared a moment, at her face, then her hand and back, "… why?"

"Hmm?" She blinked cutely, "Well, I_ did_ say I would tell you all about the 'heart' didn't I?" she raised her hand palm up, "C'mon and I'll tell you…"

Those green eyes stared at her hand again, not sure what to do. To him the emotions and wounds of the fight were still fresh, while she had had apparently twenty years to get stronger. Were they still enemies? His eyes traveled to her face again, that welcoming smile…

-_No…_- his mind told him as his wings undid themselves and his hand reached out for hers. –_No we're not…_-

Orihime just seemed to smile, wrapping her hand around his, and tugging him away from his loneliness.

* * *

Keiji – auspicious event, Kei – Penalty, punishment, time, plan, incline/lean, etc.

Gogyou – Five elements, Go- five

Goten – Palace, court

Ten – Sacred/Heavenly (as part of the naming 'pattern' with her shields) Heaven

Shun – 'Shield' (as part of the naming 'pattern' with her shields) season?

Goten Keishun – (loosely) 'Shield of five elements heavenly auspicious event' or 'Court Punishment Shield'

Mu – uncommon version of 'Six', Kan- Sixth sense, Kanten – Point of View, viewpoint, Freezing weather

Shinnyo – Absolute Reality, Zettai – Absolute, Nyojitsu- reality

Kanten Shinnyo - Viewpoint of absolute reality

Muten Zetshun – Six heavens' absolute shield

* * *

**A/N:** this actually wasn't supposed to be Ulquiorra/Orihime in anyway, it just kind of wrote itself that way if you want to look at it that way... personally i don't care... suppose because its one of the death scenes i actually liked a lot, beautiful... its just the whole 'leading up to' that pissed me off...

in order to get into the 'right' mindset for writing this i went back to these chapters:

317, 341, 347, 348, 349 (Despair event horizon), 352 (realization), 353 (end)

as they each show some instance where Orihime could have pulled herself up from the scrappy heap and not blown up into chickification... sadly, in canon she did, and its the primary reason i despise her character with more hatred then a thousand burning suns, her refusal to rise above her own circumstances and actually 'BE' a hero for once instead of just letting everyone fight for her... like how she was in the beginning... after writing this i'm just going to simply blame Kubo's misogynistic and/or terrible view of female characters... she just got the brunt of it...

as for an 'explanation' of sorts... SHE HAS 'GOD'-POWERS! the most basic explanation of her powers is effectively summed up in her cue words 'I REJECT!', in essence if she really thought about it, she could do DAMN-WELL ANYTHING! with that one phrase... its part of the reason i got angry at her character, since she was introduced as having a 'crazy' imagination AND NEVER USING IT! with those powers she could do damn well whatever she wanted... i swear, the max-shield could be pretty much classified as 'PLOT DEVICE!' its that limitless!

another interesting aspect about her powers? its not limited by her reiatsu, yea, her powers run off NOTHING but her willpower! her powers are effectively THE-MOST-BROKEN ability i have ever seen! AND THEY NEVER USE THIS! oh, its shounen-manga, can't have the woman with GOD-POWERS do more then 'heal' pfft... bullshit...

even if you 'limit' it, its still TIME-SPACE-SHENANIGANS! and that's effectively the most BROKEN! ability in ANY! system... thus my broken use of 'RESET!' yea, i did that! what now Kishimoto and your sucky-ass 'one-time-only' Izanagi! -cough- i mean its NOT an uncommon thought, why wouldn't she be able to do such a thing? i even downgraded it to the 'limits' of her abilities (has to 'summon', say 'I reject!', know what doing... damage!) and its still a killer ability, and its only an extension of the concept of layering the 'inner' and 'outer' layers of her 2nd and 3rd shields 'reject the outer world, reject what happened internally, reset!'

yes, the name is all sorts of jacked up, i like playing with words and i know i screwed that up beyond all reason, the real 'words' in the names from what i learned seem to be from the kanji, and i fail miserably at figuring that stuff out... so i played with what was similar and my own brand of 'lingo', thus all the 'words' above... there's a 'sense' there, just hard to figure out...

as for the 6th shield, like i said, it should effectively come with the label 'Plot Device', any D&D or White-wolf player knows this well... but again, i 'limited' it to pretty much a 'trap' that she can use to do whatever in the world she wants with the person inside... at this point she only wanted to 'send him away' because 'actually' killing him traumatized her a bit...

and as for her 'suddenly' knowing how to do all this... -shrugs- i subscribe to shounen-manga logic on that, 'instinct' is a crazy-great thing... plus, who knows if that 'first' time she jumped was REALLY the first time she did it -grins-

that's enough out of me...

Comments, questions, opposing views!

Till next -salute-waves- Sayounara, Mina!

-Ikasury

Ps: wow, no KomaSoi or meddlesome Unohana... huh... that's just weird...


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